Faith
by LauraTeri
Summary: Post-game. Spoilers. Luke returns back to his friends and family at long last but finds himself driven into something potentially a lot more dangerous. Will he be able to stop it before it's too late? Luke/Tear, potential Guy/Natalia, T rating for future language and references.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Tear ran to him. She couldn't bear it any more. He had been gone for three years. He had been dead and yet he was right there - in front of her. He remembered their promise; that he'd come back home. It was all too much to handle and she needed to know that Guy, Jade, Anise, Natalia and her weren't just seeing things.

The redhead caught her and quickly pulled her into an embrace without hesitation.

Tear didn't know whether running at him and pulling him into an embrace was the right thing to do, but her emotions took her over for a split second. She was a soldier, she was taught not to show her emotions; however she couldn't control herself any longer. Even as tears drifted down her cheeks, she wasn't sad. She was as happy as she had been. Realising her crying, Luke slightly pushed her head into his chest and smiled. He was home.

Guy, Anise and Natalia were soon to catch up and greet their friend back from the dead. Jade followed shortly after, stating that he became slower in his old age; to as of which everyone just chuckled in response. It was as if everything was back to normal already. He had his friends surrounding him and although all of them were in shock, they were clearly able to welcome him back to life.

The only thing he had to do now, was to crash his own coming-of-age celebrations which took place on his empty grave. As much as he didn't want to give his parents a heart attack, it seemed rather inevitable.

* * *

><p>"I still can't believe it…It's been three years and yet…" Suzanne cried in her husband's shoulder as they stood before their son's empty grave. A small selection of family, a couple of family friends and the servants of the Fabre manor stood behind them as they paid their respects on Luke's twentieth birthday.<p>

It was supposed to be his coming-of-age celebration and yet people continued to grieve. Everyday his mother would wonder what it would be like if their son was alive. Well, if either of them were. The servants had, even though they loathed it initially, come to miss Luke's stupidity and disrespect towards them. Even Duke Fabre's adviser. Everyone just couldn't bear to live with the fact that the Luke that they knew; replica or otherwise, was gone.

"Suzanne, don't wear yourself out. He wouldn't want that," Duke Fabre said to his wife as she took her face from his shoulder, her face covered in tears.

"Yes, you're right dear. He wouldn't, would he?…" she drifted off as she stared at the grave stone which had written on, her son's name. It was true. Whenever she was ill, before or after his kidnapping, he would always sit by her side and hold her hand. Just that gave her the strength to recover.

A voice, that seemed to come from nowhere suddenly replied. "No, I wouldn't".

Everyone, without much hesitation and thought, turned around to view the mystery speaker. A man who had radiant red hair, which was a little dim in comparison to the bright red of which Luke used to wear, stood before them. His voice was a little more mature than the voice that Luke held the last time they saw him, about three years ago, but still rung familiar. And then, something just felt right about the whole situation. Everyone who stood before him couldn't help but to believe he was the Luke that had sacrificed himself; the evidence was overwhelming.

With no one moving, the redhead moved himself forward a couple of steps, leaving a short distance between him and his parents of whom were obviously in shock. Tears flooded Suzanne's eyes as she let go of her husband's arm and went to embrace her son at long last. But these weren't tears of sadness any more, they were tears of happiness. He was real and he was there and that's all that mattered to Suzanne.

As his mother let go of him, he decided to speak, disposing of the silence that surrounded them. "I'm really…back, aren't I, Mother? Father?" he asked, letting a tear that he had shed run down his face and he smiled. His mother and father smiled back at him, as to of which seemed like a first for Duke Fabre, but it was a first that his son would treasure.

He was really back. He was real. He was alive, at long last. He was surrounded by the people of whom he loved; his family and his friends. There wasn't much that could ruin the natural high that he was experiencing. But there wasn't much that could be done to avoid this dream being turned into an utter nightmare.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note<strong>: I don't actually know what happened and I wrote this on a whim because I'm replaying TOTA (I got the 3DS version for Christmas and yay). It was just something to tide my writer's block over and well...It seems like I'm going to post more chapters so!


	2. Chapter 2

The week following Luke's miraculous reappearance was chaotic. While many of the Kimlascan citizens welcomed Luke back with open arms, there was a small minority of citizens who still believed that the real Luke was dead and this man who claimed to be was merely an imposter. Luke's family and friends thought the reappearance was hard to believe but quickly accepted him; because they _knew_ that he was the real Luke Fon Fabre.

Despite just initially deciding to come to Kimlasca to leave Luke with Natalia and the rest of his family, Anise, Jade, Guy and Tear decided to stay and keep a watchful eye over their friend. After all, none of them were doing anything that could be perceived as important; Jade and Guy would just be running after Emperor Peony's rappigs as per usual, Anise would just be helping out her family in Daath and Tear would just be at home in Yulia City - helping her grandfather in council.

However, following the defeat of her brother, many of the soldiers in the Oracle Knights began to become bitter with Tear. Everywhere she went, people would whisper and snigger about how she apparently supported Van and his plot to bring the end of the world; despite having done the opposite. No matter where she was, she always felt pressured and anxious of what people were potentially thinking about her. She was the exact opposite to as of whom she was before and during their world saving mission and she didn't know why. She decided to stay down in Yulia City unless there was an emergency of some sort or unless she was needed (which wasn't much despite her military status), and so began to help her grandfather in the running of Yulia City.

Tear would however put a brave face on with her friends, pretending to be the person she used to be; the person who she was before she met and eventually began to care for Luke. She still cared for him. She cared for him a lot. She didn't realise how much until he came back into her life. But, she didn't know how to handle these feelings at all. And thus, Tear tried to block him out.

Luke Fon Fabre sat in the Fabre Manor courtyard in deep thought. He was so deep in thought that he didn't even know what was going on around him, and whenever a random maid asked him whether he was okay or needed assistance, he jumped backwards, startled.

He was confused as to what Tear was doing. First she was extremely happy that he was back - but it was as if she now didn't care all that much. She was in the city - but she didn't want to come and visit Luke in the manor because she felt 'ill'. Whenever Luke and the group invited her to go around the city with them, she always declined - claiming once again to feeling 'ill' or being busy, but for some reason remained in the city of Kimlasca.

Luke knew that she wasn't the person she was before he met her; she was a lot more open about her feelings. Previously, it was like she couldn't show any kind of emotion but ever since he returned, he could see that she was trying to lie. There was always a glimpse of guilt in her eyes whenever she would say that she was feeling ill or was busy with something else; it was a lot more emotion than she would show before. But, Luke could see potential in this new Tear. Maybe that was all that he wanted in his relationship with Tear, near the original end of it; a little more open emotion. He could always tell that there were things that she wanted to say and did not, but he could never find the right time to ask her; saving the world was a little more important.

"I've really got to talk to her," Luke whispered to himself, picking himself up from the bench of which he had been sitting on for a good few hours. He grabbed his black scarf and headed out of the manor towards the inn where all of his friends were staying. If he remembered correctly, Jade, Guy and Anise had previously said something about going out of Baticul and having a look at the rural parts of Kimlasca along with Natalia who had business there. It was finally time for Luke to find out what was wrong with Tear.

A sudden knocking on the door of Tear's room in the inn made her jump a little. She wasn't expecting anyone to visit her - especially since Natalia, Guy, Jade and Anise had told her that they wouldn't be back in Baticul until that very evening. It was only 2pm. Thinking that it was potentially the innkeeper, Tear opened the door to find the very person she had been avoiding on the other side; Luke.

They stared at each other for a moment, unsure if many minutes had passed by or whether it was just one. Tear could tell that Luke seemed serious - he wasn't wearing his gleaming smile as he had previously done when he, along with the rest of his friends, attempted to convince Tear to wonder around Baticul - instead, he was wearing a face which showed how concerned and confused he was. Tear, on the other hand, was unsure of how she was looking at Luke - but she just continued to stare at him, unaware of the silent tears running down from her eyes.

"Tear...Why are you..." Luke managed to say as he instantly regretted his actions. He didn't even say a word and yet he managed to make one of the most important people to him cry.

Tear, finally catching on as to what was happening, brushed the tears away from her eyes and turned away as if nothing happened. "Why are you here, Luke?"

She was using that voice again, the one which she always reverted to when being a person full of emotion seemed like being a bit too much. The voice which always sounded like she was annoyed; the one which Luke had always hated.

"I had something that I wanted to ask you - in private, if that is okay...If not, I can always come back - you know -"

Tear sighed, interrupting what Luke was trying to say. He could see in her eyes that she was trying too hard to be the person she once was, even though she now wasn't.

Luke walked through the doorway into Tear's rented room and leaned against the window at the other side of the room. Tear closed the door behind him and piped up, "what do you want, Luke? Why aren't you with the others?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Luke tilted his head slightly. "I wanted to ask you about recently...why have you just...Why don't you want to see me?"

"It's complicated, Luke. Not even I understand...As to why. Completely. Just...leave me alone," Tear didn't know exactly what to say - but it's not like she could describe how she felt either.

"You know, I only came here to ask you because...I don't know, it's like...It's complicated too. But the only thing I can do is ask you why. If you don't want to see me, you just have to -"

"No!" Tear's sudden interruption even shocked herself. A blush as deep as Luke's hair in colour spread across both of their faces. "I mean, I -"

"Tear, if you want - I'll go and we can have this talk later - I don't...I don't want to make you upset, okay?" Luke grabbed onto her wrist softly as to stop her from turning away, he wanted her to look at him. He gently dropped her wrist as he headed for the door.

As soon as his back was turned, Tear felt as though she could tell him about anything; her feelings, why she was acting as she was - but she didn't want to see him go. Without thinking, her feelings whispered themselves aloud in Tear's voice, "I love you."

Luke stopped and his eyes widened. He didn't expect this random confession, but it's not like his feelings differed against hers. He felt the exact same way about her as she did him. He loved her - and that's why it killed him inside to know that she didn't want to see him - to know that he was being ignored. He didn't know about how she felt, and he couldn't until she confessed those feelings, but at least one thing was mutual.

Tear didn't know what had just come over her. As much as she didn't know what was going on with her feelings, at least she knew one thing. She watched Luke as he turned back to face her - with a blush almost identical to hers. Her hand covered her mouth slowly and as it did so, Luke walked towards her. His hand gently cupped the side of her face, and the hand which covered her mouth slowly dropped to her side. Both their breathing became uneven as they looked at each other before leaning in and -

"Oh, young love is such an adorable thing – but I wonder what the others might say?"

* * *

><p>Author's Note: Because fluff. And feels. And I like cliff-hangers.<p>

I'm sorry about this being late (I've been busy with school and I just forget) and I'm sorry if the chapter doesn't seem up to scratch; my writer's block has been annoying again. I'd like to shout out to anyone who has favourited, followed or reviewed this so far –I really appreciate it!

I have also found out what to do with the rest of the fanfiction – I have lots of plot developments lined up, so please look forward to that!


	3. Chapter 3

Tear and Luke jumped away from each other upon suddenly hearing the familiar voice coming from the now open doorway, their faces covered in a crimson blush.

"C-c-colonel!" Tear managed to squeak out, covering her mouth with her hand again. Luke didn't say anything and just looked away, towards the window of Tear's room.

Jade smirked and pushed up his glasses. "Don't worry, I can promise that I won't tell the others anything at all - you two lovers can do that in your own time."

"So...Why are you -" Luke started, mustering up the courage to look at Jade.

"Why am I here when me and the others were supposed to be outside of the city? Well, that's what I came here to tell Tear about. Natalia and Guy went back to the manor in hope of finding yourself, Luke - but obviously not," Jade seemed as if was impossible to remove the smirk off his face. "Either way - I think it would be best if I left you two young love birds alone, so come to the assembly room in the palace as soon as you can...But try not to be too long."

The colonel winked at Luke before leaving, making him feel a lot more wooden and a lot more awkward considering him and Tear were the only two people left in the, now silent, room.

"I better go if Natalia and Guy are looking for me," Luke started, sensing that maybe he was overstaying his welcome. "And...I'm sorry."

Before Tear was able to say anything in reply, Luke had already made a swift exit from the room. Not only was she unable to excuse her feelings, she was unsure as to why Luke, of all people, apologised when he did nothing wrong - of what she thought. Was it because he had decided to leave suddenly? Was it because he had chosen the wrong time to ask for an answer? Or was it because he almost kissed her?

She was confused and unsure, but if she knew anything, it was that she was slightly annoyed about Jade, who decided to randomly turn up from nowhere. Did he watch her confess? Hopefully he didn't. But then again, it would be a lost cause to ask him - he'd probably push up his glasses and mutter something under his breath before walking off, completely ignoring the question.

Tear grabbed a couple of things which were scattered across her room; her staff, her gloves and her purse before heading towards the assembly room of the castle.

* * *

><p>"Luke! Where have you been? We've been looking everywhere!" exclaimed Natalia as Luke first stepped foot in the assembly room. Anise and Guy were behind her, looking a little relieved at the presence of Luke.<p>

"I-I went for a walk...is all!" Luke pretended to smile. He hadn't always been the best liar, but since it was enough to convince his friends, he was relieved for the time being. He had noticed that Guy was watching him - so he was pretty sure that he knew that something had happened. After all that time as Luke's servant, he understood what Luke was like deep down and thus could recognise when something was bothering him. It was a natural thing for a servant to understand his master after all.

A couple of minutes later, Jade and Tear followed. Tear walked in Jade's shadow, trying to avoid being next to or even near Luke at all costs. Thankfully for Luke and Tear, no one else in the group seemed to notice their unusual behaviours. Although, it could only be a matter of time.

"So...erm...Why were we called here?" asked Luke, breaking the seemingly awkward and unshatterable silence.

"Well," Anise started, jumping in front of the rest of the group. "When we went to one of the villages just outside of Baticul, I think it was called 'Manta', but we were talking to some of the soldiers there and found out about some really violent attacks that have happened!"

Jade suddenly became serious, propping up his glasses. "While none of the military officials seem to have a clue as to what is going on, it seems that there are a lot of interesting rumours floating around."

"A lot of the rumours include the attacks being performed and organised by illegal organisations, cults and even the Malkuth Army. But of course that isn't true, is it Colonel?" Anise said with the most ironic, cheerful voice that Luke had missed when talking about these things.

"Of course it's not true - the Malkuth Army doesn't have much money to spend on terrorising Kimlasca after all," Jade smirked. "Or at least, I don't remember that in the last budget meeting."

"Oh Colonel!" Anise exclaimed, giggling.

Guy sighed. Having been working with Jade, he should have got used to Jade's terrible jokes, but he still really didn't know how to react. Luke saw how Guy reacted and sent him a sympathetic glance, which was obviously still new to Guy because it was only recently in the 20 years that Guy had known Luke, that Luke didn't act like the egocentric, spoilt brat that he previously had done.

"Either way, I told Father and he agreed to let us investigate - as long as Luke were to come with us," Natalia announced, surprising Luke with the King's request.

* * *

><p>That evening, Luke found himself laying on his bed in his room, eyes closed, trying to recollect the events of the day in his mind. No matter how much he tried to think of the briefing of his new adventure, of his parents' proud faces during their evening meal, of his trance being woken in the early afternoon by various maids - his mind rewound to the kiss that him and Tear almost shared and to Tear's confession. It was all he could think about. She was all he could think about.<p>

He finally opened his eyes to the sound of knocking on his window - there was only one person who would do that. Luke picked himself up and opened his window to his best friend of whom climbed though.

"Enter the amazing Guy!" Guy whispered to himself as he closed the window behind him, making Luke chuckle slightly.

"You're still making that joke?" Luke asked, smiling towards his best friend.

Guy smirked. "Of course! Someone has to anyway."

"Whatever you say."

Guy sat on one of the chairs in Luke's room and looked towards him. He looked deadly serious. The times when Guy seemed this serious were very few, so it was enough to worry Luke.

"Why are you acting completely different to the Luke I know?"

"Well, I've been reborn if - " Luke started his sentence but wasn't able to finish it.

"Luke. I wasn't born yesterday. Something has been eating at you for the last couple of days."

Luke knew for a fact that he wasn't going to win - because even as children, Guy managed to make him spit all of his secrets and thoughts out to him.

"Only if you promise on your soul not to tell anyone," Luke began to blush slightly, still having not come to terms with what had happened previous in the day.

Guy smirked. "Is this going where I might think it will?"

"Shut up, Guy," the redhead retaliated before spitting out the truth about what happened that day. The Malkuth noble's facial reaction didn't change much throughout his best friend's reaction as to what happened with him, Tear and the little interruption which was performed as Jade-like as possible.

"So, am I being told that five-foot-seven-inches-Luke has finally grown up?" Guy chuckled again. "Seriously though, if you're anything - you're the dictionary definition of love-sick".

"What should I do?" Luke gave in and was asking for advice. He didn't know what to do and so was asking his best friend of whom had probably the worst case of gynophobia that Luke knew of. He was desperate for answers for once in his life.

"I'm not an expert on women - as you and me both know - but I would suggest not bringing it up for a while. Give it a month or so. Sure, I'd kill you mentally perhaps, but - are you still doing your diary?"

The redhead looked away slightly, the crimson blush on his cheeks still not disappearing. "Y-yeah. Why?"

"Write about how you feel in there. All the things you would say to her. But you've got to wait until the time is right - otherwise you'll ruin everything."

Luke nodded, "...Okay...And for the record, I'm almost six foot now."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll see you tomorrow then," Guy said to his friend mockingly, opening the window and climbing back out of it.

Luke's talk with Guy made him feel lighter, if anything. Keeping his feelings bottled for a month, as his friend suggested, would need a lot of willpower and a lot of strength. But, did Luke have that much willpower and strength? Would he be able to succeed? Only time would tell.

* * *

><p>Sorry about not uploading this chapter until now! School's been really busy, but I was able to write up this! I might not upload for the next couple of weeks because it's getting closer to my A-Level exams and I really need to study . I'm also sorry if it sucks a little; my writer's block hit me again.<p>

I've also had one of my friends proof reading it for me and she really likes it so far! I wasn't going to include Luke and Guy's little pep-talk either, but it happened - so call it a thank you for all the support I've had so far!


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